Via Metro Chicago Real Estate Magazine:
Just as a yard sign entices couples out on a Sunday drive, a Web presence attracts Internet users.
Two years ago our office began boosting its housing presence online. As the manager of Coldwell Banker’s Lake Forest East office, I encouraged agents to allocate more of their marketing budgets to the Web. They supported an online platform because they could see it was going to be the next big thing for marketing homes.
Online marketing succeeds because it takes advantage of both passive and active consumers. Viewers browsing listings can take virtual tours of homes and if they aren’t interested in a particular home, they are directed to other Coldwell Banker listings. If they aren’t ready to buy a house at that time, the process seeds interest for a future purchase. They will remember browsing homes online and return to our site when they’re ready to buy.
For active consumers, a unique URL for the home is ideal. Whether searching MLS listings, Realtor.com, or the Coldwell Banker Web site, interested buyers will come across a general listing and be prompted to visit the home’s individual Web site. An example of a unique URL is http://www.595circle.com/, an Italian-style lakefront residence listed by Jeannie Emmert, one of our agents.
And how successful is it?
Unique URLs have brought our top producers similar successes. Donna Mercier, another top agent in our office, had a woman come to one of her open houses because she was so impressed with Coldwell Banker’s unique URL listings. She promised to enlist Donna if she ever sold her home, and not long after that conversation, they began working together.
Thus, both homeowners and buyers recognize the value of online marketing.
After two years, several modifications and a lot of sales, our office now boasts more than 75 percent of our listings online at unique URLs. We’re excited to pioneer this technology because it has helped our agents become more efficient, and the results speak for themselves. Online marketing has helped agents achieve higher sales.
The benefits are so compelling that many other offices are developing similar capabilities. With the support of Fran Broude, president and chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker in Chicago and Milwaukee, we are now looking to expand our use of technology.
Realtors® should be confident that investing in online marketing is a great way to showcase excellent service and expertise. But there is one thing that any agent should keep in mind when they use Web marketing. A unique URL will bring buyers to you, but only a great Realtor® will sell a home.
I saw many of these over the years, it’s a GREAT concept for real estate agents. Think about it, many drive by properties and say to themselves “looks interesting, we should stop one day” but never do. How do you reach those? Trough a web address that matches or similar to the home address. Lots of spins can be put on the concept, I do have one in mind for few years now however, so many projects, so little time. One of these days..